Development of An Open-Source Computational Tool for the Generation of Deviated Point Clouds from Nominal Models

Design for dimensional control refers to the engineering field concerned with variation management in different stages of product development. One of the key elements within the framework of design for dimensional control is the effective use of computational techniques for assisting the designer in defining the dimensional tolerances of mechanical parts. Despite the existence of commercial suites for computer-aided tolerancing, in general, they cannot be afforded by small businesses such as job shops and measurement service providers or be used in engineering courses in emerging economies. To bridge this gap, an open-source computational tool has been developed to assist the user with the specification of dimensional and geometrical controls. The proposed tool generates a point cloud from the nominal computer-aided design (CAD) model of the part and applies known virtual deviations to that original point cloud. Based on the modified/deviated point cloud, the user can perform virtual what-if analysis and improve the tolerancing process. This paper describes the implementation of the proposed method and presents the results of preliminary tolerance studies of some real components of the Sirius particle accelerator.